Light-emitting device (LED) lamps are replacing florescent lamps in many lighting applications. LED lamps offer longer life, greater energy efficiency, and flicker-free lighting. LED lamps also do not contain mercury and do not interfere with precision instruments.
Fluorescent tube lamps are commonly used to provide ambient lighting in large indoor areas. These tube lamps are typically 2 to 8-feet long. For an equivalent LED retrofit tube lamp, a dense array of LEDs is mounted on a long printed circuit board (PCB). Both the number of the LEDs and the length of the PCB add to the cost of the LED tube lamp. Thus, what is needed is a new architecture for linear lighting applications with large pitches or spaces between LEDs.